Scotland will base themselves at Middlesbrough Football Club’s training centre during their Euro 2020 campaign.
Scotland host Czech Republic and Croatia at Hampden either side of a mouthwatering match with England at Wembley. Steve Clarke’s side usually train at Oriam, Edinburgh, but that has been booked out by Czech Republic. English Championship club Middlesbrough will instead provide base for Clarke’s team.
Clarke says training in Middlesbrough and warm-up matches with Luxembourg and Netherlands will provide appropriate Euro 2020 preparation: “The most important aspect for me is that we give the players the best possible conditions to perform at Euro 2020.
“That includes the best possible training facilities available and making sure that travel plans are as efficient as they can be for the matches. Rockliffe Park enables us to achieve all of that while also allowing the players to focus completely on doing the best they can without any distractions. Playing Netherlands and Luxembourg beforehand allows us to prepare with two different styles of opposition.
“For the players, this will have been one of the most intense seasons in their careers. Matches have been played behind closed doors and an already congested calendar has meant many – not least those whose clubs have enjoyed prolonged spells in European competition – will have played three games a week over many months.
“When the domestic season ends there will be a mental and physical deficit to overcome in a short period of time and that’s why La Finca will be so important, in part due to the unpredictability of the weather in Scotland but also the close proximity of La Finca to the two matches we are obliged to play.”
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